Listening to my body—following my heart

Quote of the day:  “Pain is like a life coach in your body. It’s what made me a life coach because I started paying a lot of attention to what made me hurt and what didn’t. It turned out my body was trying to steer me away from a life that was absolutely wrong for me and into a life that was absolutely wonderful.” —Martha Beck

Stepping out into a life of living my dreams

If you’ve been reading my blog, you may know that I’ve struggled with fibromyalgia-like issues for many years. When I was working as a software engineer, it seemed that no matter what I did, my pain got worse, my capabilities less. I got to the point where I spent every vacation and weekend recovering and I never fully recovered. The last year that I worked, my husband often drove me to and from work, just to make it a little easier for me to cope. And still I persisted and stuck with the job. Like the James Joyce quote, “Mr. Duffy lived a short distance from his body,” I lived a long distance from mine.

It’s been a little over a year since I left the corporate world and decided to do what I love—photography. It took me almost nine months to stop being driven and to start learning to listen to my body. Now, I feel as if I have a new lease on life! My pain is down. I’m able to do more. I have energy and I experience joy every day.

Some days I wish I had listened to my body and had the courage to change earlier in my life. But, I’m here now. Because of years of hard work, I can do photography now and not worry about how to make ends meet. I’m still not able to do everything I want physically. But by listening to my body, I’m discovering a wisdom far greater than I ever imagined.

How about you? How well do you listen to your body? What’s your body telling you? I urge you to slow down and listen, even if you don’t like what you hear. Your body is wise and can help you find your right life.

Note: the photos in this post were all taken at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, one of my favorite places to make photographs.

Maidenhair Fern

Shooting Star

Wild Phlox and Yellow Lady Slipper

Wild Phlox and Yellow Lady Slipper

Prairie Smoke